


Wrappers

by SummerLeighWind (orphan_account)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bonding, F/M, Gen, Harry Potter Next Generation, Kid Fic, Next-Gen, Original Character(s), POV Original Character, Uncle-Niece Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 01:51:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4942060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/SummerLeighWind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When looking for the seeds for her daddy's Father's Day flowerpot, Sheba Abbott stumbles across a box full of gum wrappers in her Uncle Neville's desk drawer. When he catches her with the box, what she learns will bring them closer than ever before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wrappers

Sheba listened with a half-ear as her Aunt Hannah read her the story of Peter Rabbit. She'd heard this one a number of times already in her scant seven years and while it was a favorite, it also was not as attention-grabbing as her plans for the coming evening. Father's Day was tomorrow and for the past couple weekends, Sheba and her sister, Alexis, had been visiting her Aunt and Uncle so they could prepare their Father's Day gift for Daddy.

Unfortunately, though, Alexis was at home  _with_  their daddy due to having strep throat.

However, her big sister had not wanted their gift for their daddy to be ruined due to her not being able to go visit their uncle and aunt. And so, Alexis had insisted she go see Aunt Hannah and Uncle Neville like usual. Sheba had agreed happily enough to this and was actually rather pleased that  _she'd_ be the one to put the finishing touches on their gift for once.

But, before she could do that, her Uncle Neville had to come home from Hogwarts. He'd promised that he would get them the seeds they needed for the flower pot they'd painted for their daddy, and that he would even help them plant the seeds.

Sighing lightly, Sheba rested her head on her aunt's shoulder and reached out to trace the picture of Peter Rabbit eating a carrot while she continued to hope her uncle would be home soon.

And as if to answer her prayer, a moment later, she heard the Floo down the hall come to life.

Springing up from her spot when she saw her uncle come into the living room next, Sheba skipped over to him. Grabbing at his hand, she gave it a slight tug as she asked, "Did you get the seeds for the flower pot Alexis and me painted for Daddy?"

Eyes fond, her uncle took his hand back to give her pigtail a tug. "Yes, they're in my study," he told her.

Favoring Uncle Neville with a wide grin, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick hug. "Yay!" she cheered. "Can we put them in the pot now?" she questioned hopefully.

Nodding, the man said, "Yes, just let me change out of my teaching robes-"

"Okay! I'll go get them from your study!" she shouted, already halfway down the hall.

After her, Uncle Neville called, "Sheba! Wait a mo - argh, never mind. They're in the top drawer!"

Laughing at how quickly her uncle had given up on correcting her behavior, Sheba opened the door to his study and went around to the side of the desk where all of the drawers were. There, she was made to pause. The desk had  _three_ top drawers. Sheba looked between them and asked herself, "Which one?"

Shrugging her shoulders after a moment of deliberation, Sheba tugged all of the drawers open and began to sift through the contents of each when she did not see the seeds in any of them right away.

Picking up a promising looking green box, Sheba popped the lid only to frown. Reaching in, she pulled out a little piece of pink and yellow wax paper. Inspecting it with squinted eyes, she realized that it was a candy wrapper. Sort of like-

"Bathsheba Maria Abbott!" a raised voice scolded.

Jumping, Sheba dropped the box and looked up only to see her uncle frowning at her with a frightfully red face. Rushing over, he pushed her aside even as she attempted to get down on her knees to pick up the many, colorful wrappers.

Whipping out his wand, Uncle Neville levitated the wrappers back into their box in small groups as he berated her. "I told you the seeds were in the top drawer! Why are you rifling through my things? Bathsheba Maria, you-you-!"

Tears pricking at her eyes, Sheba covered them as she warbled, "There are  _three_ t-top drawers! I thought they might be in the box 'cause it was  _green_ and plants are  _green_! I'm sorry, Uncle Neville!"

Shoulders slumping a little when he saw the tears breaking past her finger-dams, the man put the now righted box aside and picked her up. "I'm sorry, Sheba, I was just upset...You didn't know. Stop crying, please. Oh, your aunt's going to wring my neck..."

Sniffling, Sheba curled herself beneath her uncle's chin and asked, "Why do you have a whole box of candy wrappers? Don't they belong in the trash? That's what Daddy says when me and Alexis throw rubbish on the ground."

"I know it looks strange, but..." Uncle Neville trailed off, hand rubbing up and down her leg. "Sheba, has your daddy ever told you about the first war? Not the one we were a part of, but the one our parents were."

The girl pulled away and shook her head. "I don't think so," she answered.

"Well, I guess I'll be telling you a bit about it today," Uncle Neville proclaimed. "You see, in the first war, Voldemort heard about a prophecy-"

"-The one that made Harry Potter The-Boy-Who-Lived!" Sheba cut in, proud to know this tidbit.

Uncle Neville gave her a smile that was ugly. Pride falling away, the girl realized she did not like the look on her uncle's face at all.

"Yes," he concurred, "that prophecy made Harry The-Boy-Who-Lived. But do you know, Sheba, that I could have been The-Boy-Who-Lived?"

Gaping, Sheba put hands to her face and questioned in a breathless whisper, " _Really_?"

He nodded.

"How?" she demanded.

Uncle Neville pulled her close once again as he explained, "You see, Harry and I were both born at the end of July - which meant we both fit the prophecy. Like Harry's family, mine was targeted by Voldemort. Unlike him, though, my parents did not die protecting me. Instead, they were tortured until they almost died."

"Tortured?" Sheba murmured, scared. She knew that word, usually in the setting of play, but the girl also understood it could actually be really, really painful. Like when she fell and broke her elbow when she was five.

Face solemn, Sheba's uncle only held her gaze as he said, "Yes, torture. What you might not know, Sheba, is torture can break more than skin and bones. It can break the mind too. That's what happened to my mum and dad. Now they live at St. Mungo's, unable to do the simplest things on their own."

"Not even brush their teeth?"

Uncle Neville cuddled her as he whispered, "Yes, they can't even brush their teeth."

Squirming around so she could be the one giving a hug, Sheba pressed, "What's that have to do with the candy wrappers, though?"

"Oh, yes, those. I visit my parents sometimes. My mum doesn't know my name or anything, but she recognizes me and likes me. To show me this, she enjoys handing me those bubblegum wrappers. Since they're the closest thing to an 'I love you' that I'll ever get from her, I like to...collect them."

Sheba understood then. Things from your mum were the best. She would know too, with hers being dead and all. Her mum had died not long after she was born, but even so, Sheba's mum had liked to plan ahead and had bought her several gifts for her future. Sheba had gotten most of the gifts by this point, the majority being baby clothes and the occasional doll, but Daddy had promised she'd bought a very, very special gift Sheba would only get when she turned eleven and could be trusted to keep it safe.

She couldn't wait for that day.

"Wow, she must love you lots and lots then. I can't even count how many wrappers you have."

Uncle Neville kissed her forehead. "I think you're right," he agreed.

Squirming out from her uncle's grip, Sheba asked, "Do you think I could come with you to see her once? I'd like to meet her."

Blinking his surprise, the man nodded. "If you really want to do that, of course you can, Sheba."

"I would."

"Well, okay then. I'll let you know the next time I go," he told her.

Giving a dip of her head, Sheba looked over the still open drawers and asked, "So where  _are_ the seeds, Uncle Neville?"

His own gaze meandering over the drawers, a pink flush began to crawl up his neck. "Uh..." he mumbled. Gently pushing her down from his lap, Uncle Neville reached into his pocket and pulled out a little sack. "Here they are. It seems I forgot to follow through on my plan upon coming home..."

Giggling at this, Sheba said, "You're so forgetful, Uncle Neville!"

After a moment, the man joined in.

Soon, the last of the melancholy left them and once again, things were okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you readers might recognize the name Sheba and the name of her sister, Alexis. That's because both characters are the same as the ones in my other fic, Growing Up Goyle.
> 
> Thank you for reading, please leave a kudo/comment if you enjoyed the story :)


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